Long Story

Well, excuses no more. Because new research has found that one single minute of very intense exercise produces health benefits similar to longer, traditional endurance training.

The people responsible for making your laziness inexcusable once and for all? A group of researchers at McMaster University. “This is a very time-efficient workout strategy,” says lead author Martin Gibala, professor of kinesiology at McMaster, in a press release. “Brief bursts of intense exercise are remarkably effective.”

McMaster is being modest. When 45 minutes of traditional continuous moderate exercise can be reduced down to just 10 minutes (two-minute warm-up and three-minute cool down, and two minutes of easy cycling for recovery between three hard sprints of 20 seconds), you’re talking a fifth of both the time and the exercise.

The sprint interval training (SIT) protocol has previously been shown to increase fitness. But this was the first study to compare it with a group who performed 45 minutes of continuous cycling at a moderate pace – as recommended in public health guidelines – plus the same warm-up and cool down. After 12 weeks of training, the results on key health indicators including cardio-respiratory fitness and insulin sensitivity were remarkably similar.

“Most people cite ‘lack of time’ as the main reason for not being active,” Gibala said in the release. “Our study shows that an interval-based approach can be more efficient — you can get health and fitness benefits comparable to the traditional approach, in less time.

“The basic principles apply to many forms of exercise,” he says. “Climbing a few flights of stairs on your lunch hour can provide a quick and effective workout. The health benefits are significant.”